Discover a flavorful, eco‑friendly pasta trick without water
According to the instructions on the packaging, pasta should be cooked in hot salted water. The manufacturer specifies how many minutes it takes to cook to al dente and when it becomes softer. However, in some cases, alternative ways of cooking spaghetti yield much better results.
Pasta in cheese sauce or traditional mushroom soup with shell pasta can turn out much better when you slightly deviate from the manufacturer's recommendations. In these and many other cases, you can cook pasta without water. This method not only enhances the dish's flavor but is also eco-friendly and economical.
How to cook pasta without water?
In some cases, you can add dry pasta directly into the prepared dish. It will become just as soft in hot sauce or soup as it would in water. Additionally, the starch typically dissolved in water will thicken the dish, giving it a pleasant texture.
This method may seem unconventional, but it works—especially with dishes that have a lot of sauce or are watery vegetable soups, particularly those lacking flavor. Furthermore, by adding pasta directly to the sauce or soup, you don't need to use flour.
Will pasta without water work in every dish?
Cooking pasta in sauce or soup offers significant savings in water and energy. An additional advantage is that you don't have to think about what to do with the pasta water. However, this method does not work in every case. To make the pasta soft, it needs an ample amount of water to absorb. If the sauce is already thick, cooking pasta in it might result in only a bland aroma remaining.
The importance of cooking time for pasta
The cooking time for pasta without water is the same as in the standard procedure. Once you exceed this time, the pasta will become increasingly softer and will absorb more water, until the dish turns into unappealing mush.
Pasta left in soup or sauce will continue to swell even after it's removed from the stove and placed in the refrigerator. Therefore, this method only works if you do not plan on leaving leftovers for the next day.
